Lignin, a major constituent of lignocellulosic biomass, is the largest natural source of aromatic molecules and thus is an attractive feedstock for renewable chemical production. Direct incorporation of isolated lignin into materials has long been researched due to the idea’s simplicity and the scheme’s potentially high atom economy. However, due to its high chemical reactivity lignin is difficult to isolate without having it undergo uncontrolled condensation and repolymerization, which greatly hinder its ease of incorporation into polymers and other materials. Therefore, controlled chemical modifications have been and are being developed to increase lignin’s compatibility with existing materials. This review presents the latest advances in lignin extraction and functionalization and their potential for improving the production of lignin-based materials.

木质素是木质纤维素生物质的主要成分，是芳族分子的最大天然来源，因此是可再生化学生产的有吸引力的原料。由于这种想法的简单性和该方案潜在的高原子经济性，长期以来一直在研究将孤立的木质素直接掺入材料中。然而，由于木质素的高化学反应性，如果不对其进行不受控制的缩合和再聚合，则很难分离出木质素，这极大地阻碍了木质素易于掺入聚合物和其他材料中。因此，已经并且正在开发受控化学修饰以增加木质素与现有材料的相容性。